Teen charged in accidental shooting seeks jury trial

December 09, 2010|By DON AINES | dona@herald-mail.com

A teenager charged as an adult in connection with the accidental shooting of a 2-year-old boy in September requested a jury trial in Washington County Circuit Court during an appearance Wednesday in district court.

Fantaisa Shantal Rivera, 17, of 400B Park Place, Hagerstown, had already been scheduled for a Jan. 19, 2011, hearing to determine whether her case can be transferred to the juvenile court system, according to court records.

Rivera is charged with obstructing justice, making false statements to police, possession of a firearm by a minor, theft of less than $1,000 and possession of a handgun in the Sept. 27 shooting of 2-year-old Mario Longus in a the boy’s bedroom at 12842 Little Elliott Drive, according to the statement of probable cause filed by Hagerstown police.

Marcus Longus, Mario’s 16-year-old brother, faces the same charges. He also has an additional charge of leaving a loaded firearm where it could be accessed by an unsupervised minor, court records said.

Longus is scheduled for a transfer hearing next month in circuit court, court records said.

The child, who was critically injured in the shooting, is continuing his recovery, according to the Washington County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Last week the father of Marcus and Mario, Glenn D. Goode, 51, was arrested at the courthouse as he emerged from a hearing. Goode was charged with possession of the hallucinogenic drug PCP and with contributing to the condition of a child in need of assistance, court records said.